In an interview for the news site, Pristina-based attorney Tome Gashi said the statute of the special court does not allow for it to try Ramush Haradinaj, leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), or Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) leader Fatmir Limaj, because both men were acquitted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. “Some of their political rivals are implying that Haradinaj and Limaj could be tried by the special court. However, Haradinaj, as a senior KLA officer, was declared innocent in two occasions by the ICTY.

The paper’s front-page editorial claims that certain government officials in Kosovo take advantage of their official positions to arrange their and the affairs of their clans. “Whenever they find themselves in trouble, politicians take advantage of state mechanisms or even create new ones just to protect their own interests. The most recent example is the Law for legal and financial aid for persons that will be tried by the special court.

The European Union Special Representative to Kosovo, Samuel Zbogar, told the Belgrade-based  news agency Tanjug that the the first indictments for the alleged war crimes suspects that will be addressed by the special court, will be filed in January next year.  He also said that the law on special court enters into force only after being signed by Kosovo’s President Atifete Jahjaga.

The Vetevendosje Movement MP, Rexhep Selimi, commenting on the publication of a list by the journalist Milaim Zeka containing the names of the alleged suspect of special court, said that neither Milaim Zeka nor Hashim Thaci know the names that are expected to be among the accused by the special court. He said he didn’t take the list seriously, knowing that Milaim Zeka is not the one who makes the list.

Parliament in Kosovo has amended the constitution to allow the creation of a special court to investigate alleged war crimes committed by ethnic Albanian fighters during the war in the 1990s.

The now-disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) has been accused of various war crimes, including organ-harvesting from murdered Serb captives.

Jevtic told Tanjug that the Serbian list would not support the law on financing and legal protection of the suspects before the Special court.

He added that at the meeting of the Kosovo government this was confirmed and explained by the Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Branimir Stojanovic.

Kosovo’s Justice Minister, Hajredin Kuci, said that that further procedures for the establishment of the special court are not the competence of local institutions. Kuci explained that after adopting the laws for the special court in the Assembly yesterday, the local institutions have no power  over the procedures by which special court shall be established.  "The procedure of establishing special court is not in our competency, but the EU’s,” Kuci said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) through a press release has welcomed the decision of the Kosovo Assembly to establish the special court for war crimes. HRW said the court will operate under Kosovo law but with headquarters in Europe and with international judges and prosecutors. "The government and lawmakers have taken a right decision for justice," said Lotte Leicht, director of Human Rights Watch for Europe. "It is an important step for victims and for Kosovo to finally address the allegations of war crimes,” he added.

Several news sites are reporting that Pristina-based reporter Milaim Zeka has published an extensive list of people who he claims will be tried by the special court. According to Zeka, the suspects are: Agim Ceku (PDK), Azem Syla (PDK), Hashim Thaci (PDK), Kadri Veseli (PDK), Xhavit Haliti (PDK), Shaip Muja (PDK), Ajvaz Berisha (PDK), Daut Haradinaj (AAK), Blerim Kuqi (AAK), Lahi Ibrahimaj (AAK), Rexhep Selimi (Vetevendosje), Fatmir Limaj (NISMA) and Bislim Zyrapi.

The Lead Prosecutor of the European Union’s Special Investigative Task Force (SITF), David Schwendiman, said on Monday he was encouraged by the adoption of the legislation for the formation of the special court in Kosovo. “The Kosovo Assembly adopted the constitutional amendments and the law that makes way for the formation of the Specialist Chambers and the Office of the Specialist Prosecutor,” Schwendiman said in a media statement.